Police forces from the Ministry of Interior killed on Wednesday 11 alleged militants described as “terrorists” in an exchange of fire near Al-Arish, in North Sinai, as reported by state-owned news agency MENA.

The agency cited a security source saying that the police troops were on the way to attack the militants’ den. The source added that the weapons and explosives were confiscated.

The armed forces usually helm operations in North Sinai, but in some cases, police forces engage in the fight against militants.

On Wednesday the State information Service (SIS) said in a statement that the ongoing Sinai 2018 operation “sets an example for the state’s onerous duty to combat terrorism and its commitment to human rights.” The state-run organisation cited a legal study, titled “Human rights and the countering of terrorist groups” written judge Adel Maged, the deputy chief justice of the Court of Cassation.

The study also asserted the “armed forces’ respect for the rules of engagement within the course of combat operations, in line with international conventions and the UN General Assembly’s resolutions.”

The report came after the Human Rights Watch issued a report, where it stated that the Egyptian army expanded widespread destruction of homes, commercial buildings, and farms in the governorate of North Sinai, since the beginning of the extensive military operation Sinai 2018 on 9 February.